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The day everyone has been waiting for is finally here! Chivas USA’s preseason kicks off Friday, Jan. 18 at 9:30 a.m. in The Home Depot Center’s Track and Field Stadium ahead of the Red-and-White’s 2013 First Kick on Saturday, March 2 against Columbus Crew in The Home Depot Center.

Players are scheduled to come in on Thursday, Jan. 17 for required physicals hours after the MLS SuperDraft in Indianapolis. Head coach Chelis will not be in the team’s first training session due to his return flight from the draft, but will join the squad on Saturday.

Training will be open to the public and all fans are encouraged to join us in welcoming the squad back. Will you be there? Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter (@cdchivasusa) for all the latest updates and photos of your favorite players!

MLS SuperDraft is just around the corner, and with the second overall pick, Chivas USA has yet another selection to make on Thursday, Jan. 17 in Indianapolis. Throughout the nine years the club has been a part of MLS, the Red-and-White have made over 20 selections. Which one is your favorite? Vote now!

And don’t forget, MLS will have a live stream on Thursday, only on MLSsoccer.com starting at 9 a.m. PT.

It’s been a busy week for Chivas USA coach Jose Luis Sanchez Solá. The Mexican coach arrived in Los Angeles Monday evening and went straight to The Home Depot Center to begin preparations for preseason that begins next week. Chelis, as he is known sports world, gave his first interview to a Southern California outlet to Univision Los Angeles, a Spanish news channel. In the interview, Chelis said that he knows little English and is making an effort in learning the language, and he revealed the names of the players coming from Guadalajara.

The 2013 MLS SuperDraft is less than a week away and Chivas USA head coach Jose Luis Sanchez Solá is in the Combine to see all the players on the field first hand and get to know the player that will be selected on Thursday, Jan. 17. The Red-and-White will have the second overall pick after finishing the 2012 season in 18th place (reverse order used).

Upon his arrival to Los Angeles Monday evening, Coach Chelis headed straight to The Home Depot Center to begin planning for the 2013 season and the Combine and SuperDraft were among the first topics addressed.

MLS Combine games began on Friday in Fort Lauderdale and will resume on Sunday, Jan. 13, with Tuesday, Jan. 15 as the last day of games. On Saturday and Monday, coaches will have the opportunity to have one-on-one interviews with the players before the big day.

MLSsoccer.com senior editor Simon Borg evaluated the current Chivas USA roster and made his predictions on the selections the club might make. Click here to read the full article.

Based on Simon Borg’s picks, who do you think Chivas USA should select? Carlos Alvarez, Mikey Lopez, Jose Diaz, or another player? You tell us!

It was a day full of smiles as Chivas USA’s supporter group the Union Ultras held their first ‘Dia de los Reyes’ (Three Kings Day) Toy Giveaway on Sunday afternoon in Our Lady of the Holy Rosary in Sun Valley.

Before the event, CDChivasUSA.com spoke with Ultras representatives, who estimated that they had around toys for about 100+ kids. But on Friday and Saturday night, the Ultras began gathering more toys and gifts for the event, including donations from Chivas USA. On the big day, over 400 children were given a gift to celebrate the holiday.

“It was nice to see so many children smiling and happy,” said Ultras representative Julio Ramos. Also in attendance, the infamous ChivaFighter helped the Ultras put those smiles on children’s’ faces as he interacted with the kids and their families. Click here to view a gallery of the event.

If you’re interested in joining Chivas USA supporter group Union Ultras or Black Army 1850, click here to find out more.

Chivas USA’s new Head Coach Jose Luis Sanchez Solá, also known as ‘El Chelis,’ arrived in Los Angeles on Monday afternoon and reported straight to The Home Depot Center to get to work. The Mexican coach wanted to send a message to fans, but he has yet to learn English perfectly. Here’s a translation of what he said:

“Hello fans, I’m Chelis and I’m here in Los Angeles, in Carson and ready to begin this adventure. The only objective, the principal objective I have is that you have a great time in the stadium every weekend and that everyone has a team that they can identify with and that you have fun with the style of soccer we’re going to have. Thank you and I’m here to serve you.”

Come join Chivas USA Supporter Group Union Ultras in their first ‘Día de los Reyes’ Toy Giveaway this Sunday, January 6 in Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Church in Sun Valley. Members of the Union Ultras, members of the church, and the one and only, ChivaFighter will be in attendance! Don’t miss out on a great event!

What: Union Ultras Día de los Reyes Toy Giveaway

Where: Our lady of the Holy Rosary

7800 Vineland Avenue.

Sun Valley, CA 91352

Time: 12:30 p.m.

For more information on the event or to make a donation, contact Union Ultras representative Julio Ramos at chivamayor@unionultras.com.

In a long Holiday week, check out the top tweets of the week. From players to fans, we got you covered. And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter: @cdchivasusa. Click here to view a full list of Chivas USA players that are also on Twitter.

Merry Christmas to everyone!! Hope u spending this blessed day with family n love ones..

Chivas USA Youth Academy’s might be on Winter Break, but they are still making headlines. TopDrawerSoccer.com named U16 forward Alejandro Vergara among the top performers in Fall 2012. What other player will receive this honor? Find out in 2013!

Jorge Villafana’s dream continued in 2012 in his sixth season with Chivas USA. This year, Villafaña saw himself play as a defender rather than his usual midfield position and participated in a total of 14 games (nine starts), notching one goal and adding one assist. His lone goal this season came in early October, as the Red-and-White hosted FC Dallas in The Home Depot Center. Villafana’s goal not only gave the Goats their first point in seven games, but it also snapped Chivas’ goalless streak of 600 minutes.

Villafaña was also part of the United States U23 squad that fought for a berth in the Olympics in London alongside fellow Chivas USA teammate Juan Agudelo. Unfortunately, the Americans were unable to qualify to the tournament for the first time since the 2004 Olympics in Greece.

Aside from a good season on the field, Villafaña and his wife welcomed baby girl Arely in early June making 2012 an unforgettable year.

Want to see more of Villafana in 2013? Click here to purchase your season seats!

Since joining Chivas USA in 2009, defender Ante Jazic has become a solid and consistent member in the Red-and-White back line. This season, Jazic played in 27 matches (all starts), missing just seven games due to international duty and/or injuries.

Most recently, Jazic was nominated for the end-of-year Xbox Individual Fair Play award after going the entire season without receiving a neither yellow nor red card, a personal low for the Halifax, Nova Scotia native.

Aside from league action, Jazic was a key player for the Canadian National Team’s CONCACAF World Cup Qualification run. Les Rouges were eliminated from World Cup contention in the hexagonal, not before taking three wins, two losses and a draw, finishing in third place of Group C.

Want to see more of Jazic in 2013? Click here to purchase your season seats!